THE RTOTS IN 1780. 343 



chapel ; its contents were brought out, and burned, as well as the 

 chapel itself, amidst shouts of " No Popery/' from the surrounding 

 crowd, which continually increased. When the conflagration was 

 nearly complete, a strong body of soldiers appeared, keeping the 

 mob at a distance; but they continued their vociferations till the 

 fire was extinct. Why Wallace, a member of the government, re- 

 mained a quiet spectator of this scene for two hours, instead of 

 taking any measures to prevent it, I cannot even conjecture ; but I 

 am certain of the fact. On the same night, a catholic chapel near 

 Moorfields, was burned, and others were reported to be so ; but it 

 was not known authentically, whether those reports were correct. 



On the following morning the town was in confusion. Business 

 was interrupted, and the streets crowded with persons vociferating, 

 " No Popery/' and similar exclamations. These became more nu- 

 merous as the day advanced, till, afternoon, they attacked two large 

 distilleries in Holborn, the property of Langdale, an eminent Roman 

 Catholic. They staved all the vats containing the fluids, in every 

 stage of manufacture, as well as the puncheons of finished spirits ; 

 these were suffered to run down the streets, filling the kennels, and 

 overflowing the whole. Some of the mob went on their hands and 

 knees, to drink from the gutters ; then rolled over on their sides, 

 plunging in the fluids, and careless who rolled over them; thus 

 accumulating a scene of brutal intemperance., which those who did 

 not see, can never understand. The streets, from Middle Row to 

 Newgate, were so crowded, that it was difficult for one man to pass 

 another. Towards evening a report spread, that Newgate was to be 

 burned that night. Intending to be present, I made my way 

 through the crowd, to the south-east corner of St. Sepulchre's 

 Church-yard, beyond which I could not proceed ; and from that 

 elevated spot, had a full view of all that passed before the prison. 



The people were crowded together as closely as possible, except a 

 small space in the centre, left for the operatives to attempt to work 

 in. They threw stones at the windows of the governor's house, in 

 hopes of breaking them, but in vain : they battered the door with 

 sledge hammers, but it did not yield. At last, some men placed their 

 hands against the wall, others jumped on their shoulders, broke the 

 windows, and that way gained admittance, opened all the doors, and 

 thus admitted the mob, who set all the inmates at liberty ; carried all 

 that was in the house into the street, burned it, and likewise burned 

 the building itself most completely. This conflagration employed 

 a great part of the night, without other interruption, but from the 

 City Association, which was no serious interruption whatever. 



All business was now at an end. On the following morning, de- 

 putations from the mob went to the Fleet and King's Bench prisons, 

 giving regular notice to the inmates, to remove their private property 

 in the course of the day ; and what must seem extraordinary, is, 

 these notices were acted upon, as if they had been strictly legal : all 

 the prisoners did remove their own property, and themselves, with- 

 out interruption from the legal authorities. Late in the day, the 

 mob came, burned down both the buildings : the conflagration, in 

 both places, was tremendous, and occupied the whoje of the night. 



